Multicultural Issues: Underrepresentation of Culturally Different Students in Gifted Education: Reflections about Current Problems and Recommendations for the Future

At the dawn of each year, I feel compelled to take some time to reflect upon my professional goals and scholarly focus, as well as what, if any impact, I might have had on resolving problems and moving the field forward in addressing underrepresentation. For some reason, entering the year and decade 2010 seems to be “one of those times” where self-reflection weighs heavily on my mind. For almost two decades, I have devoted my professional life to the field of gifted education, as have others. More than any time in my career, I find myself reflecting even more so on the persistent or stubborn problem of underrepresentation among Black and Hispanic students in gifted education (and Advanced Placement courses). Is this more frequent self-reflection because I am getting “old,” with the age of 50 knocking at my door? Is it because, in rereading some of my work of almost two decades, I see the same problems and issues of underrepresentation being discussed ad nauseam with too little progress being evident? Is this more frequent self-reflection because I am impatient for change and so desperately want excellence, equality, and equity to guide all decisions made about students? Is it because my justice meter is higher than others, that my focus on underrepresentation is not just professional, but also personal? Is it because I know that we can do better at decreasing underrepresentation but am fearful that the moral will seems to be missing in action? In the following pages, I share my two cents worth on some of the key problems or barriers to increasing the representation of African American and Hispanic students in gifted education, and offer suggestions for moving forward to meaningful change and progress. I ground this article in the fundamental belief that underrepresentation negatively affects the lives and future of Black and Hispanic students, as well as the school district, the community, the state, and the nation. This is both a national and international problem that hinders our ability to compete and thrive globally. Simply put, underrepresentation is not their problem; it is everyone’s problem. We all (e.g., educators, families, communities, and businesses/organizations) suffer when students don’t do well; we all benefit when students do well. Thus, when underrepresentation is viewed as having personal, social, fiscal, and long-range implications, perhaps changes will be more forthcoming.